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Leners Patent Ne; 97,420, meer Neeembee 3o, 1869.

oysTER-DREDG'E.

The Schedule referred to these Letters Patentl and making part-of the same.

To all whom iL muy concern Be it known that I, THOMAS F. MA'YHEW, of Iort Norris, Cumberland count-y, New Jersey, have invented certain Improvements in Oyster-Dred ges; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

Nature and Object of the In'ccnlqon.

My invention consists- First,'iu the employment, in au oyster-dredge, of a light intlexible bag of wire ganze, or its equivalent, in place of the usual heavy chain-bag;

Secondly, of certain guards or fenders, arranged beneath the said inlexible bag; and

Thirdly, in bringing the tooth-bar and the said inflexible bag to the front portion of the dredge, and in a peculiar construction of the latter;

The object of my invention is to dispense with the objectionable flexible bag, and to simplify and reduce the weight of the dredge. i V

Description of the Accompany-ing Drawing.

Figure 1 is a perspective. view of my improved oyster-dredge.

Figure 2, a sectionalview of the same.

Figure 3, a View of thc dredge as it appears when being drawn over the side of a vessel; vand Figure 4, an inverted plan view.

General Description. The frame of au ordinary oyster-dredge consists of an eye, to which the ope1ating-rope or chain may be attached, and spread apart from each other at the rear end of the dredge, so that the usual tooth-bar and flexible chain-bag, into which the oysters are raked, may be 'secured to them.

The chain-bag, owing to its flexibility', always sags downward, and rests upon the bottom of the oystcr bed, as the dredge is drawn forward, so that, although made of the stoutest and heaviest material, the bag soon becomes worn through and nniit for use.,l

The frame also, iu order to sustain the weight of the bag, and to distcnd it properly, must be much stouter land more complex than if the bag were made of some light iniexible material.

To overcome the above objections, and to couscqnently simplify and reduce the weight of the dredge, has been the object of my present invention, which I will now proceed to describe.

The generalform of the ordinary dredge isi-stained, but the upper bars of the frame are dispensed with, and the lower bars A A only employed, the latter bing welded, or otherwise secured together, at the front end, where there is a link, a, and having secured to their rear ends the tooth-bar B, which is furnished with the usual teeth c,

In place of the usual heavy bag of S-hooks and rings, I employ a light inflexible bag, f, of stout wire ganze, the mouth ot' this bag being supported by a metal frame, 11.,.-secured to the tooth-bar, and being .protected at the bottom by guards or fenders i, which are also secured to the tooth-bar, and lwhich pass beneath and around thc said bag, as best observed in figs. 2 and 4, the upper ends of these guards or fenders, after passing around the bag, being attached tol protecting the light material of the bag.

Then the dredge is drawn on to the roller X, on the' side of the vessel, its teeth c will strike on the said'roller, and will turn the tooth-bar and bag to the position shown in tig. 3, thus emptying the oysters on to the deck of the vessel, without the usual necessity of drawing the dredge entirely over the roller.

This method of emptying the dredge, which would be impossible with the flexible bag, enables the fenders for wardingoi' the tooth-bar from the roller, to be dispensed'with, and much facilitates the operation of the apparatus.

Although I prefer that the frame, 85e., for supporting the inflexible bag, should be constructed as above described, yet it will be evident that the .bag can be applied' with advantage to any of the frames in common use.

. Ulm'ms.

lents, that th'e'said tooth-bar and bag may bev tilted,

for the purpose of emptying the latter, substantially as herein set forth.

4. A frame for oystendredges, consisting-cf two bars A A, connected together, and hinged t0 the tooth-bar B, substantially in the mannerdesoribed.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, ,in theipresence of two subscribingV witnesses.

THOMAS F. MAYHEW.

Witnesses:

JOHN WnrrE, 'HARRY StnTH. 

